Pine trees. Bike tires. Aliens. Talking Dogs and Cats. An open fire. An occupied SUV. A White Elephant. A preoccupied girl. All the elements of the culmination of the Jesuit Stage and Film year, The Second Annual Jesuit Film Festival.
The 2016 Jesuit Film Festival took place on May 13 in the Jesuit Lecture Hall, hosting a huge turnout of kids and parents alike.
These short movies are all must-watches, with some being so brilliant that my words won’t do them justice, but if you don’t have time to watch the whole list of entries for the festival, then below are some brief summaries of the already short films that do not contain any spoilers; so you can choose specific films you would like to watch by reading their descriptions and not have to worry about discovering their major plot twists. Also, these are all my own opinions and interpretations of the short films; feel free to interpret the films in your own way.
Pounds Per Square Inch (Grand Prize Award)
Directed by Calvin Herbst from Richardson High School, Pounds Per Square Inch is a “mockumentary,” (a fake documentary) about a man who’s passion in life is filling up bicycle tires.  Simple as that.  Wildly funny.  Great five o’clock shadow on the protagonist.  Cydney Roy, who won the Best Actress Award, commented on this film, saying, “Pounds per Square Inch, the grand prize winner, was hilarious and incredibly well done. Also, it was originally done in a 24-hour film race – to pull something that good off within that time-frame is really hard to believe.”
Films about Violet (Best Cinematography Award)
Directed by Henry Ainsworth 16′, Films about Violet is a silent film about a boy trying to meet up with a girl.  It starts with the boy’s butler driving him home to his house, where there is a party.  The boy then pursues the girl throughout his time at home and eventually gets to meet her face to face, literally. There are twists and turns that really contribute to the quality of this film.
Alien Hunting
Directed by Nicholas Kissee 19′, Alien Hunting is a backyard rendition of Bear Grylls hunting a wild beast, except the hunter was not Bear Grylls but rather a few teenage boys, and the prey was not a wild beast but rather an extraterrestrial. Shot on an iPhone camera, Kissee forwent expensive equipment and made an utterly unique film that found the audience laughing from its beginning to end.
Painter
Directed by Nicholas Dart 16′, Painter outlines the life experience of a young man who was involved with a young woman.  It entails the gradual portrait he paints of the woman’s face as their relationship moves forward.  The painting evolves over time as there are major plot twists in the story. Dart, much like his work in Herbert, creates an incredibly creative and well-done film.
An Exposition into the Mind of Elliot Drake
Directed by Andrew Easterling 16′, An Exposition into the Mind of Elliot Drake is a film about a crazy director and the man who goes to work for him. Frequently blending satire with a larger-than-life personality of Elliot Drake, Easterling provides a caricature of a pretentious director who is releasing a new film. Seeking to provide a commentary on the film landscape, the film drew constant laughter from the seats.
Austin Street Center
Directed by George Rodriguez ’16, John Darrouzet ’16, Joe Ehrisman ’16, and Holton Schwartz ’16, Austin Street Center offered insight into the world of Jesuit Service at the Austin Street Center.  Interviews with not only multiple Jesuit students but also many of the staff members who work at the center accurately depicted the charitable service done by all who volunteer there. By this work of non-fiction, the film communicated the real world struggles of the population of Dallas living in poverty to the audience.
HOV (Best Editing Award)
Directed by Lillian R., Gabby P., and Isabel B., from North Richland Hills Prep and Ursuline Academy, HOV is a POV from the back of a car of a woman throughout periods in her life, lovers, friends, and family.  Very cool concept.  Very original.  Great sequencing of shots. “Everything was filmed in a car and was specific to a certain situation/time of day/etc.,” recounted Cydney Roy. “So there was a lot of driving around and waiting. We probably filmed for three full days but split up over a month.”
I Hate the Mole
Directed by Jacob K. from Greenhill Academy, I Hate the Mole is a psychedelic thriller, complete with a very abstract storyline and equally hallucinatory lighting.  The experimental film is hard to describe because everyone probably interpreted it differently. Regardless of intention, Kraus got the Jesuit crowd thinking.
Coco and Ginger
Directed by Jacob D. from Keller High School, this film is obviously about Coco and Ginger, but to understand the full story of Coco and Ginger, you must watch the film since it is the only animated film and a visual pleasure. The film tells the story of a talking dog and talking cat (Coco and Ginger) who struggle with their relationship, ultimately contracting amnesia after a fall from the top of their building. Extremely advanced and impressive, the skill of animation and attention to detail left the Jesuit crowd astonished.
Lecture
Directed by Gabby P. ’17 from Ursuline Academy, Lecture details the experiences of a very preoccupied girl. Â You must watch this to know the film. Â I cannot enunciate anymore of the plot, which jumps around a little, but ultimately resolves to the conclusion that you can only understand by watching. Â The cast was extraordinary and perfect for their roles, in addition to the beautiful scenery and location of the film.
Two Sides
Directed by Jared Butler ’16, Two Sides is a very dense and thought-provoking movie. It is the only film that I honestly cannot put words to because of how deep it was.  Please just watch it as you will enjoy the countless shifts and thriller ending.
Lost in Arkansas
Directed by Calvin Herbst, Lost in Arkansas is a documentary of a trip taken by a group of friends to hike and backpack into the backcountry of Arkansas.  They are dropped off by a man in a van, with only the mindset that they are going to explore.  This is exactly what the film captures in its frames. As a result, Herbst created well-filmed and stunning shots of a natural phenomenon.
Herbert (Best Original Score Award)
Directed by Nicholas Dart ’16, Herbert is an emotional tale of a young couple and their small, clay elephant.  Originally, the little white elephant is a gift from the woman to the man, but then the man attempts to throw the gift away.  The woman eventually gets the man to like the clay elephant and they enjoy their lives with the elephant.  The ending of the movie throws in a gut-wrenching twist (which is all I’m going to say as I worry I might spoil it).
Through the Ashes (Best Original Screenplay Award)
Directed by Spencer Vilicic ’17, Through the Ashes seemed like a normal camping trip between two friends.  They both are huddled around a fire having a pretty deep discussion until one of the friends proposes, “What do you think fire is?” This question ends their talk and results in the boys extinguishing the fire and going to bed.  One of the boys is woken up in the night by a commotion only to discover a major plot twist (which I won’t spoil), a twist that causes one boy to run for his life through the woods only to come back to where he was before. As a recipient of one of the highest awards, Spencer shared that “[he] was genuinely surprised and happy to have [his] process of story telling appreciated.”
For those of you who haven’t been to the Jesuit Film Festival before, it serves as an amazing opportunity to see some local artists make spectacular visual pieces. Â You may even know someone starring in one of the films or have a similar experience as Cydney, who “had never been to the festival before this year, but…really enjoyed it!” Â Continuing, she also said, “It was fun to see myself on screen for the first time and also to see what everyone else had been working on for the year. From what I’ve heard, the festival was really selective this year. So, I think it’s awesome to see Jesuit film becoming so popular and well known.” Also expressing his excitement, Spencer was “glad Jesuit was able to host its Second Annual Film Festival, and even more psyched to have had a short film selected to be shown.”
All in all, this was the best Jesuit Film Festival I’ve been to, specifically due to the high quality of the films and the acting.  Cydney herself concluded that “There were some really impressive films at the festival.” Similarly feeling an affection for the films, Spencer even went to the lengths to say that “[he] was a little disappointed by the reduction in the amount of selected films because I’m sure that 14 films could not encompass the whole amount of wonderful content submitted.” Feel free to ask the directors of the films about anything or any questions that you may have had about their work, but sometimes it is fun to wonder about a film that just left you hanging.  Come out to the Jesuit Film Festival next year to see some truly amazing student-made short films!
